Instant messaging device/server protocol

• US 20070094337A1
• Filed: 05/03/2006
• Published: 04/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Klassen, Gerhard, Manolescu, Andreea, Wormald, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 9,009,264 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

A generic IM device/server protocol permits a single implementation of a IM application on client devices for communicating with different enterprise IM servers types. The protocol defines a server maintained tag to identify the currency of a contact list it is managing for a client device. The client device receives and persists the tag and provides it at login. The server automatically sends a contact list update only if the tag indicates the client devices contact list instance is not current. Presence updates may also be sent automatically at login and the client device need not separately request contact list or presence updates at login. The client device may be pre-provisioned with respective graphics, text and server capabilities for multiple server types. A specific IM configuration may be selected in response to service information.

Claims

1. A client data communications device comprising:

a communications sub-system for communicating data to an IM server;

an IM application for conducting IM communications via the IM server;

at least two configuration files for configuring the IM application for communicating with different types of IM servers; and

a service definition specifying a one of the types of IM servers with which the IM application is to communicate thereby to determine the respective configuration file to configure the IM application.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein each configuration file comprises definitions for configuring the look and feel of the IM application.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein each configuration file further comprises definitions specifying the server capabilities for the IM application.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the IM application uses a generic device/server protocol defined for communicating IM communications to different types of IM servers.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the device comprises a contact list stored to the device and wherein the protocol exchanges between the device and the server a tag value defined by the server to represent the currency of the contact list thereby to instruct the IM server to provide an updated contact list in response to a change to the currency.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the protocol specifies that the updated contact list is provided automatically, if necessary, in response to a login session.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the protocol specifies that updated presence information for contacts of the updated contact list is provided automatically in response to a login session.

8. A method for configuring a client data communications device for IM communications:

storing an IM application to the device for communicating IM communications with an IM server, said IM application using a generic device/server protocol defined for communicating IM communications to different types of IM servers; and

storing a service definition to the device, the definition specifying IM communication service to enable the IM application.

9. The method of claim 8 comprising storing two or more configuration files for configuring the IM application for communicating with different types of IM servers.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the service definition specifies a one of the types of IM servers with which the IM application is to communicate thereby to determine the respective configuration file to configure the IM application.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein each configuration file comprises definitions for configuring the look and feel of the IM application.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein each configuration file further comprises definitions specifying the server capabilities for the IM application.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the IM application is configured to store to the device a contact list for IM communications and wherein the protocol exchanges between the device and the server a tag value defined by the server to represent the currency of the contact list thereby to instruct the IM server to provide an updated contact list in response to a change to the currency.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the protocol specifies that the updated contact list is provided automatically if necessary in response to a login session.

15. An instant messaging system comprising:

an IM server and a plurality of client devices with IM applications;

a least one computer network coupling the IM server and client devices; and

the IM applications of at least some of the clients and the IM server are configured to use a generic device/server protocol defined for communicating IM communications to different types of IM servers.

16. The instant messaging system of claim 15 wherein each of the at least some client devices comprises two or more configuration files for configuring the IM application for communicating with different types of IM servers.

17. The instant messaging system of claim 16 wherein each of the at least some client devices comprises a service definition specifying a one of the types of IM servers with which the IM application is to communicate thereby to determine the respective configuration file to configure the IM application.

18. The instant messaging system of claim 17 wherein each configuration file comprises definitions for configuring the look and feel of the IM application.

19. The instant messaging system of claim 15 wherein each IM application is configured to store to the client device a client'"'"'s respective contact list for IM communications and wherein the protocol exchanges between the client device and the server a tag value defined by the server to represent the currency of said contact list thereby to instruct the IM server to provide an updated contact list in response to a change to the currency.

20. The instant messaging system of claim 19 wherein the protocol specifies that the updated contact list is provided automatically, if necessary, in response to a login session between a client device and the IM server.

21. The instant messaging system of claim 15 wherein the at least some of the clients are coupled to the IM server via a wireless communication network.

22. A computer readable medium comprising instructions and data which when executed by a processor adapt a client communications device to communicate Instant Messaging (IM) communications with an IM server, said instructions and data adapting the processor to: